HUERFANO COUNTY 4-H NEWS. February 2018

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1 HUERFANO COUNTY 4-H NEWS February 2018 Huerfano County Extension 401 Main, Suite 105 Walsenburg, CO Phone: , Ext. 130 Fax: H CALENDAR FEBRUARY 1 Registration for District Retreat Opens 5 Shooting Sports Meeting-La Veta Fairgrounds at 5: Western 4-H Institute-Fort Collins H Youthfest-Larkspur, CO 11 4-H Council Meeting-La Veta 11 4-H Ambassador applications available 19 Presidents Day-Office Closed 20 Marshall Frasier Beef Symposium-Hugo 27 Fair Board Meeting-La Veta MARCH 3 Market Beef Weigh-In and Breeding Rabbits Check-in, La Veta 9-11 Weld County Shooting Sports Workshop 11 4-H Council Meeting, Walsenburg 16 4-H Ambassador applications due in the Extesnion Office South Central 4-H District Retreat, Divide, CO Pueblo County Shooting Sports Workshop 27 Fair Board Meeting, La Veta 27 Meat Quality Assurance Training 30 Operation Easter Bunny Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. Greetings, Huerfano County 4-H! Hope all is well and that everyone is gearing up for a fun and exciting 4-H season. I had the pleasure of attending the Snowy Range Club meeting Monday night and I enjoyed seeing everyone and getting to meet a few new people. Some of the items that came up during that meeting Market rabbits We have a new rule this year concerning market rabbits and what breeds are considered acceptable breeds to show and sell in the market rabbit program. Please don t purchase your rabbits until the official list of acceptable breeds comes out after the fair board meeting at the end of this month. If you go buy a Netherland Dwarf now and the list says that

2 they are not eligible for the market rabbit class, you will be able to show them as fancy rabbits but you will not be able to show them as market rabbits and sell them through the 4-H sale. The justification for this rule is that certain breeds have been bred and developed to produce actual meat carcasses which will produce a decent product. Other breeds have been bred and developed as pets or fancy show rabbits. Most of these breeds do not produce a viable carcass for consumption. If we have buyers at our sale purchase rabbits and end up with totally unusable carcasses we are doing them a serious disservice. We are looking for 4-H members to sign up for shooting sports. Craig Lessar held his first organizational meeting Monday evening prior to the Snowy Range meeting. Craig is very excited about getting a shooting sports program going and it would be great if we got more members involved. Starting in March there will be actual on-the-range shooting practices held the second Friday of each month. Please contact me at the office for more information. Upcoming Opportunities for 4-H Members There are several upcoming camps and retreats that I would really like to see more Huerfano County 4-H members take advantage of. Please read and consider participating in one or more of these fun, educational and exciting activities. #1 South Central District Retreat Golden Bell Resort, Divide, Colorado March lots of fun, meet 4-H members from many neighboring counties, registration open now in 4-HOnline. Open to 4-H members ages #2 State 4-H Conference Early June, senior 4-H members. Leadership training and fun events. Watch for more info. #3 Clovers and Caballeros Camp Mid-June, state Fairgrounds in Pueblo. This camp is for younger members. Lots of fun activities and leadership training. Watch for further information. #4 Camp Go West - This is an actual outdoors-type camp with outdoor activities such as hiking, horseback riding, ropes courses. Etc. Held at the beautiful Camp Jackson near Rey, Colorado. This is a great fun camp for younger members. More info coming soon. Finally, many of you will be looking to purchase your animals for County Fair competition in the near future. If you aren t sure of what you are looking for feel free to contact me and I will do my best to answer any questions you might have H ENROLLMENT There are still people who have enrolled in 4-H for the coming year who have not paid their fees. You will not be approved for membership and will not be allowed to enroll in events until the fees are paid. Fees are $21 per member paid to the Extension Office and $1 paid to your club s leader for insurance ($2 if you are enrolled in a horse project).

3 4-H COUNCIL The next council meeting will be held on February 11, 2018, at the La Veta Fairgrounds at 1:00 p.m. MARKET RABBIT EXHIBITORS New rules regarding market rabbits were added to the Fair rules following the 2017 Huerfano County Fair. These rules were approved by the Fair Board and will be in effect for the 2018 Huerfano County Fair. Rabbits Rule #6 No market rabbit older than one and one-half years old will be allowed to sell in the sale. Rule #7 No fancy class rabbit, regardless of age, will be sold in the sale. Rule #8 Exhibitors are required to know if their rabbit is considered market or fancy by the June identification deadline. The small animal superintendents are in the process of developing a list of acceptable market rabbit breeds. That list will be available following the Fair Board meeting at the end of February. BIG R PRODUCING PARTNERS Big R is again supporting 4-H and FFA through their Producing Partners Program. A Big R gift certificate is issued to members that are raising an animal(s) for the Fair. There is a maximum of 1 large animal and 2 small animals per person. To enroll, you must fill out an enrollment form, which specifies the amount allowed for each animal. You can pick up your enrollment forms at Big R. Enrollment begins March 1 and ends April 30. After verification has been made with chapter/club leaders, a Big R gift certificate will be issued. CITIZENSHIP WASHINGTON FOCUS The 2018 Citizenship Washington Focus will be held June 23 rd -June 30 th, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Our county sponsored delegate s cost will be $1,400 and each additional delegate will pay $2,100. The Extension Service will pay $1,400 and the 4-H Foundation will pay the remainder. Payments are due in the State 4-H office no later than March 1, Applicants will use the 2018 CWF Application Process through the 4honline Event Registration section. When our selection has been made, the office will confirm the applicant s registration. MEAT QUALITY ASSURANCE TRAINING

4 The MQA training will be held March 27 th at the La Veta 4-H building from 5:30 p.m. until everyone has completed the session. All members, who have enrolled in a livestock project for the first time and who is a senior in 4-H (14 years old) this year, must attend. This is a Fair requirement. If you do not complete the training, you will not be allowed to show your animal(s). 4-H AMBASSADOR PROGRAM Ambassador Program applications are due by March 16 th. Please see the separate attachment in your for the application. EXHIBIT REQUIREMENTS The new exhibit requirements for 2018 have been copied and are ready for club leaders to pick up. A copy should be handed out to only those members enrolled in non-livestock projects. Requirements were copied only for those projects that members have enrolled in. MARKET BEEF AND BREEDING RABBIT CHECK-IN Members enrolled in Market and Breeding Beef and Breeding Rabbits will have their animals checked in and weighed on Saturday, March 3 rd. The check-in will be held from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the 4-H barn in La Veta. Be sure to bring your Cool Forms with you that day SOUTH CENTRAL 4-H DISTRICT RETREAT : LEARNING BY DOING IT RETRO Where: Golden Bell Camp & Conference Center in Divide, CO When: Friday 3/16 to Sunday 3/18 Ages: 13 to 18 Cost: $145 for 2 nights, 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 1 dinner, 1 dance, and various workshops. Activities: Workshops, games, recreation (pool, game room, etc.), dance, ice cream social, District and South Central elections Registration will be open in 4-H online from February 1 to February 23. More information will be sent as it is available. 4-H SCHOLARSHIPS 4-H scholarship applications are due April 1. Each applicant must have 2 references (other than an Extension Agent) and a recent/current photograph. The website to access the application is TRUCK RAFFLE

5 We will again be participating in the 2018 Colorado 4-H Foundation Ford truck raffle this year. We could have tickets as early as the week of February 12. We will have the same prizes, same payouts, and same extra bonuses as last year. We are being challenged to do more this year. The collective goal is to reach $250K in truck proceeds this year. We will let the leaders know when you can pick up your tickets. JOANN FABRIC STORES 4-H PAPER CLOVER CAMPAIGN In partnership with the 4-H Grows Campaign, Joann Fabrics is working with 4-H clubs across the country with some great opportunities for 4-H members. I will forward an to each of you explaining the program.

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